From The SFX Office

John Carter, The Muppets, Being Human and a cute cat – all burning hot topics in the office this week

John Carter , The Muppets , Being Human and a cute cat – all burning hot topics in the office this week

It’s the calm after the storm. The post-Weekender frenzy to get another issue of SFX to be (that’s a technical publishing term, not a sexual fantasy) is over. Nails and hair are safe once more from gnawing and pulling. The cleaners can finally prize the coffee mug out of editor Dave Bradley’s mitts. The office is full once again of the sound of keyboards chirruping softly like a summer meadow full of crickets, rather than the sound of keyboards being pounded like machine-gun fire.

And the office will be even quieter soon, because the staff who are in will be going to a Couch Potato session this afternoon. We can’t tell you the theme (it’s a tradition) but there will be some young blood. And we’re not talking about on the couch. Unless a fight breaks out and Jordan gets a nosebleed.

We haven’t got the Weekender (or the attendant alcohol) completely out of systems, though. Adrian (in between enthusing about The Walking Dead non-stop) has trained his cat Dennis be ready for the call-and-response at the next Weekender…

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Not that we’ve all been chained to our computers for the past week. Dave G stayed over in London on Saturday night with freelancer Jayne Nelson, so they could see John Carter on Sunday. Oddly we’re under embargo, so we can’t tell you how much they enjoyed it (oops), even though a load of American journos have been Tweeting about it all night after the US premiere. Strange world, PR. Dave G and Jayne were also mistaken for a couple by a Big Issue vendor in Trafalgar Square. Jayne screwed up her face in disgust and declared, “He’s my boss!” To which the Big Issue guy raised an eyebrow and replied archly, “Oh, it’s like that , is it?”

Jordan’s feeling all warm inside. Literally. He had swish new double-glazed windows installed in his flat last week which have made his place so warm he’s resorted to wearing nothing but a pair of Star Wars shorts in the evening. Unfortunately he’s so taken by his windows that he has a habit of leaving his curtains open just so he can look at them, giving passers-by on the street below a bit of a fright. He also visited BBC Worldwide this week to play The Eternity Clock , the new Doctor Who game releasing on PS3 and PS Vita next month; and has been engaged in that age old debate with Russell: pancakes or omelettes? Russell thinks omelettes because “you can put cheese on omelettes”. Jordan thinks Russell is mental.

The team has been giving a joint thumbs up to the new series of Being Human (UK flavour). If you’re one of those grieving fans who’ve stopped watching because Mitchell and George have gone, you really are missing a treat. “It’s feeling fresh and new,” declared Rich, and he’s right. Forget moping about the past. Just think of it as a new show! Hal and Tom are hilarious together. In fact Dave G’s loving it so much he watched three episodes in a row the other night… the next three! And the fact he’s checking BBC Previews just about every other minute of the day to leap on episode seven when it’s available says something about something. (He’s also convinced he’s name-checked in episode six, but hey, how many Daves are there out there?)

Rich saw The Muppets last night. His review: “A lot of good moments, but very slight and not enough of the Muppets being Muppets – Sam, the Swedish Chef and Beaker are seriously underused!”

Whose T-shirt? (We actually can’t remember if we’ve featured this one before! We have Swiss cheese memories. But we do recall that last week’s chocolate belonged to Nick, and it was sent to him by Calum Waddell)